I recently purchased several bottles of gueuzes of different brands with the intent of aging some of them. 3 Fontenein has it printed on the bottle that they should be kept horizontally. Boon shows vertically. Tilquin and Oud Beersel don't show anything. I've read good arguments for both... What's best really, horizontal or vertical?
This has been discussed many times (here and other sites). Although still debated, I think horizontal storage is the consensus. Here are some links: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/cellaring-lambics-horizontally-vs-vertically.30744/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/storing-ageing-of-lambic-beer.593431/ I have personally asked people at Cantillon and they do indeed recommend horizontal storage. Yeast can better do its thing and the cork remains moist. Here is what 3F says on their website: Horizontally or vertically? Here comes a crucial point. Traditional lambic beers need to be stored horizontally. This keeps the cork wet and under tension because it never loses touch with the beer in the bottleneck. A bottle that stands upright holds a vacuum of CO2 between the beer and the cap, which releases the tension. Secondly, when stored horizontally, the lees also spread more quickly and evenly to the bottom. This gives free rein to the Bretts, who further condition geuze in the bottle, all nice and quiet. If you don't have a cellar, just place the bottle somewhere flat at the bottom of a cupboard in the lowest room of the house. It's fresher there too. https://www.3fonteinen.be/en/our-story/how-to-store-our-bottles/
